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Chapter Text

After finding the eye of the First Field Tiller, Aether was ready to call it quits for the day. So imagine his frustration when Dainsleif told him that they would need to return to that cursed domain again. After much struggle, the trio managed to make their way back to the Defiled Statue, only to be stopped by the Abyss Herald for another time too many in one day - at least in Aether’s opinion. Dainsleif didn’t seem too phased, which really ticked Aether off. Seriously, how can someone be so accustomed to an Abyss Herald showing up out of nowhere? Just who is Dainsleif, exactly?

Aether ended up fighting the Abyss Herald head on, and by himself, may he add. Paimon was as useful as ever, and just where in the name of the Archons did Dainsleif go? After finally managing to get a good hit in, the Herald scrambled to escape, only for Dainsleif to step in and stop him. Aether was exhausted, and just wanted to go to sleep, when a familiar flash of white caught his eye. Dainsleif was struck, albeit lightly, and lost his grip on the Herald. Aether, Paimon, and surprisingly, the Herald, were taken aback, and all attention turned to the assailant. The Herald gasped and lowered himself to a bow. “Princess…”

Aether’s eyes widened as recognition washed over him, and by the look on her face, he could only conclude that Paimon had realised who it was, too. “Hey, c-could that be…?!” Paimon gasped in shock, as Aether finished the sentence for her. “Lumine!” Aether couldn’t believe what he was seeing. He’d finally found his sister! But… Why had she protected that Abyss Herald? “Aether…” Lumine trailed, her voice barely a whisper. Aether’s brows furrowed in confusion, something was off. Did Lumine not realise the danger of the current situation? Maybe she was dazed. Whatever the case, he needed to get them both out of here. He stepped forward slightly, only for Lumine to take a step back. “Let’s get out of here, it’s too dangerous!” Lumine’s face contorted into a similar look of confusion as Aether’s, looking between her brother and the man beside him. “Aether, why are you with Dain?” Her voice was tainted with slight animosity as she said the name. “You’re asking about… Dain?” They’d been separated for so long… Why is she asking about something that doesn’t matter? “Huh?” Paimon’s head tilted in confusion. “Your sister… knows Dain?” Aether was just as confused as Paimon was! Even more so, actually. “Lumine. We meet again.” Aether’s attention shot to who was speaking, said person being Dain. Paimon shared a similar reaction, getting more confused by the second. “Wh-What’s going on here? Dain knows her, too!”

Lumine’s frown only grew, realising Aether and his flying fairy mustn't know much about Dain. “You shouldn’t team up with this man. He is my enemy.” Dain looked slightly concerned, as though he didn’t want Lumine to continue. “Lumine…” Aether couldn’t understand what his sister was saying. What did she mean? Dain had done nothing but help him all this time. “Stop saying things that don’t make sense, Lumine!” Lumine continued despite Dain and Aether’s protests, keen to get her word in. “But it must be said… Don’t try to stop me. Don’t try to stop the Abyss.” She spared a short glance to Dain, almost seeming to be reminiscing over something, before looking back to her brother. “That man, Dainsleif, was the “Twilight Sword,” one of the royal guards of the final dynasty of Khaenri’ah. 500 years ago, he failed to prevent the destruction of Khaenri’ah. A curse of immortality was laid upon him, to forever wander the wilderness… while he watched the people he was supposed to protect turn into the monsters of the Abyss.”

Paimon’s eyes widened in surprise. That couldn’t be right, surely! “You’re saying… Dain is from Khaenri’ah?! The same Khaenri’ah that was destroyed 500 years ago?! And you said the people turned into monsters… You’re trying to tell Paimon that the Abyss Order is not only related to Khaenri’ah, but is actually the people of Khaenri’ah themselves?!” Aether could see Paimon growing frustrated as she held her head and whined. “Uh… And the whole thing about Dain being your enemy? Ohh… Paimon’s so confused…” Aether was growing tired of all of this pointless conversation. He just wanted to leave - him and his sister, together. “You can tell me all this later. Let’s go home!” Lumine let out a soft sigh. “Home… Yes, of course. “Home” is wherever we are together. But I cannot go with you to the next world to find a new home… at least, not yet. Until the Abyss has engulfed the thrones, my war with destiny will see no end…” Aether gave a confused head tilt, mimicking Paimon’s earlier actions. “Destiny…?” Lumine gave him a solemn look, turning her head slightly. “Listen to me, Aether…” She turned to look at him again. “I have already travelled through this world once. Once you reach the end of your journey as I did, you will see for yourself the true nature of this world.”

With that said, Lumine and the Herald began to step back. The Herald conjured a portal, and waited for Lumine to enter. Said person stopped to say a final goodbye to her brother. “So we’ll meet again. Though we need not rush, brother. I have more than enough time to wait for you.” Aether started moving forward as his sister began to move towards the portal. He couldn’t let this be it, not after searching for so long! Lumine spared him one last look, frowning softly at him. “We have always… had enough time.”

Lumine passed through the portal, and Dain rushed through after her. Aether ran as fast as he could, diving through the portal with Paimon just before it closed. For what felt like forever, it was as if they passed through an infinite void. Lumine and Dain were nowhere to be seen, and Paimon held onto Aether for dear life. “Wahh! We’re gonna die!” Paimon cried, nearly cutting off circulation in Aether’s arm. 

When they finally passed through the void-like space, the first thing Aether registered was noise - too much noise. He looked around, and one thing became abundantly clear: this was not Teyvat. Paimon came to a similar conclusion and let out a gasp, looking about frantically as if that would somehow help. “Where are we?! This isn’t like anywhere in Teyvat I know!” Aether chose to merely nod in silent agreement, taking in his surroundings. Buildings that looked like they touched the sky, strange machines traversing the streets, and humans and creatures alike walking in unison This was most certainly not Teyvat - this was another world entirely. “I don’t think this is Teyvat, Paimon…” He trailed, sucking in a breath, only to be greeted with a massive coughing fit. “The air here is horrible…” Paimon nodded, trying not to breathe too much herself. “This reminds me of how people describe the air in Fontaine. So polluted…”

Aether’s instincts kicked in, plenty used to world hopping by now to know the drill, as he gently grabbed Paimon by the hand. “People are staring at us, I think we stand out. We need to change into something more suitable…” He hummed in disdain, trying to think of what to do. Paimon glanced at him with a look he could only decipher as confusion. “Don’t you always wear that outfit, though?” Aether sighed, she was right, after all. He couldn’t remember the last time he’d worn something other than his signature outfit unless he was washing it. “Yeah, but that’s because most worlds I’ve been to are accustomed to different clothes depending on the culture of the person. But from the looks we’re getting, I don’t think these clothes will fly here…” He sighed, gently pulling her along as he began looking for anything that resembled a clothing store. Although he seemed rather collected on the outside, inwardly, Aether was panicking. What had happened, and how did they end up outside of Teyvat? He had passed through the exact same portal as Lumine and Dain, and yet, he ended up in an entirely different place altogether. Was it intentional, or was it a malfunction with the portal itself? If the latter was the case, he could only hope that Lumine and Dain were safe - wherever they were.

Chapter Text

What Aizawa should have been doing on a Sunday evening was relaxing at home with his husband and his cats, and that was his intention, too. So, he didn’t take it too kindly when he received a call about two suspicious individuals in odd clothing, walking around downtown Musutafu. Supposedly, they had tried to purchase clothing with some odd form of gold currency, described as looking like pure gold coins with a Triquetra on them. The two had been, surprisingly, successful - as the shopkeeper recognised that the coins would sell for a much higher price than the clothes were actually worth. So now Aizawa was perched on a rooftop ledge, looking out for a blond male with a braid and a floating girl with pure white hair - in normal clothes. 

Seriously, why did it have to be on his day off? They had every other day of the week to appear and they chose a Sunday? The world really was out to get him. After almost half an hour of searching, Aizawa was just about ready to call it quits - if the duo were here, they certainly weren’t anymore - when a flash of blond caught his eye. There was no mistaking it the moment he saw it, there amongst the crowds of people were two children - one probably about 15, the other looking to be about 7 or 8, considering she was speaking coherent sentences and had already developed her quirk - looking lost and rather overwhelmed. Aizawa, despite his hate for crowds, made his way down to the street, just as the duo decided to cross a road without waiting for the traffic signal. Did these two actually have a death wish or something? Aizawa made quick work of wrapping the two in his capture scarf and pulling them back, narrowly avoiding what very well could have been a fatal car accident.

The flying girl immediately began to wail, much to her companion’s dismay as he tried to free himself from the scarf. Aizawa pulled them slightly closer, although was yet to release them from his hold. “Relax, there’s no need to panic. Could you not see the truck barreling straight towards you?” Shockingly enough, the blond managed to free himself and his friend, said girl immediately wrapping her arms around him and whining - something about thinking they were about to be kidnapped. “Truck…?” The blond trailed, clearly unfamiliar with the word - and from his accent, Japanese in general. “Y-You! How could you scare Paimon like that?! Ohh, my heart can’t take this much strain!” The girl yelled at Aizawa with such frustration that he was almost taken aback. She clearly wasn’t as young as he had guessed - sure, she whined like a child, but her wording was equal to that of someone much older. Her accent was much more fluent than that of her companion, too. Said companion seemed completely unphased by her reaction, almost used to it, and merely answered his own question. “Oh, you mean this… Metal thing on wheels?” Language difference or otherwise, the boy clearly had no idea what a truck was. He seemed completely oblivious to his surroundings, and his accent was so unique that Aizawa couldn’t decipher it at all. 

“Yes, the metal thing - on wheels. It was going to hit you.” Aizawa tried to speak as slowly as possible without being condescending - and he still wasn’t sure how much of it the boy understood. He could only hope that his flying friend, who Aizawa assumed was named Paimon by her earlier outburst, could understand enough to translate for him. Paimon seemed to lose her earlier demeanour, for what reason Aizawa would never know, and spoke up for the two of them. “Would it not stop if it could see us?” It was evident that she didn’t understand that a human was driving inside - just what rock had these two grown up under? “The driver wouldn’t have been able to stop in time - even if they saw you, you ran out right in front of it.” 

The mention of a driver was all it took to send Paimon’s poor brain over the edge, stomping her foot in the air and holding her head. “Ohh, you don’t make any sense to Paimon! You deserve an ugly nickname!” She was wailing as if Aizawa hadn’t just saved her life, but luckily for him, her companion seemed to have more common sense, calming her down in a language Aizawa didn’t quite recognise. The boy looked at Aizawa with a look he could only assume was sympathy, bowing slightly in a show of respect - at least he had some manners. “I’m sorry for Paimon… I don’t really understand, but thank you for helping us.” The boy spoke as clearly as he could, stopping every so often to ponder what words to say next. Aizawa sighed softly, he could see that the boy didn’t mean any harm. If the bags under his eyes were any indication, he was already having a bad day without the near death experience. “It’s alright, kid, but you need to be more careful. Do you have anyone I could call to come and pick you up?” The boy, who’s name he still didn’t know, looked even more confused at this sentence, and looked to Paimon for help - however, the girl looked just as confused as he did. “Paimon doesn’t understand… What do you mean, “call”? No one would hear you in this crowd!”

Aizawa deadpanned - she couldn’t be serious. He reached into his pocket for his phone, showing it to her. “I meant with my phone.” The boy looked at it with curiosity, and Aizawa realised then and there that he’d need a shit ton of coffee after this. “Okay, this clearly isn’t working… How about I take you two down to the station, and we can try to work something out there?” Paimon’s eyes lit up at the first thing she recognised the strange man saying, bursting with excitement. “Ohh, you mean a police station? That’s a great idea!” Aizawa was relieved to see that she at least knew what a police station was, but her friend seemed much more sceptical of the man. “But why? We haven’t done anything wrong.” Aizawa was slightly taken aback by the boy’s sudden attitude change - he was very protective, it seemed. “Just to get you two somewhere safe. I’d rather not save you both from being hit by a truck again.” With that, the boy seemed to loosen up a bit. He looked to Paimon for her verdict, she seemed to be the one who made the decisions, while he was the brain behind them. “Okay mister! Lead the way!”

The walk to the station was an eventful one, and Aizawa learned a lot about the mysterious duo along the way. Firstly, the boy’s name was Aether. Although Paimon’s didn’t sound Japanese, at least it could be spelt with Japanese characters. How was that even spelt in English?? The second thing he had learned was that Paimon was basically Aether’s guide and translator. How this had come to be, Aizawa had no idea, because according to Paimon, she and Aether shared no common language when they had met. It was as though they communicated through some psychic link - a quirk, perhaps? And that brought him to his third point - they had no idea what quirks were. When Aizawa had asked Aether about his quirk, the boy seemed completely oblivious. Aizawa was no Tsukauchi, but he liked to think he was a good judge of character - and he could tell Aether was being honest.

“Do you mean like… a personality trait?” He had asked, tilting his head in a somewhat endearing display of confusion. “Well, some people say I’m too nice, but-” Oh God, Aizawa needed to stop him before he started rambling like Midoriya. “No, no - I mean your power. You know, like how Paimon can float.” Aether’s eyebrows furrowed as his confusion only grew, and it was then that Paimon pitched in. “You mean, kinda like a vision? Paimon doesn’t have a vision though, so it can’t be that…” Aizawa sighed as he held the bridge of his nose, he didn’t even want to ask what a vision was. “No, it’s… Nevermind.”

Aizawa groaned just thinking about it. Who were these kids, and just where exactly were they from that they didn’t know what a quirk was? He couldn’t even hide his relief when they arrived at the station, and he told the two to take a seat on a couch as he spoke to the receptionist.

“Eraserhead.” The woman at the desk smiled, it definitely hadn’t been their first encounter with how much trouble his students caused. “To what do I owe this pleasure?” Aizawa sighed in mild frustration - she already knew what he was going to say, so why even ask? It was just pointless interaction, really. “I need to speak to Tsukauchi, is he here?” The woman giggled, clearly sensing the man’s frustration. “You’re lucky! He just got back from a domestic call! I’ll let him know you’re here, okay?” 

Aizawa nodded in silent thanks and went over to where the duo were sitting, avoiding any more needless chit chat. Said duo were seated diagonally from each other, Paimon on an armchair, and Aether on the couch. They seemed to be deep in conversation, and so Aizawa decided not to interrupt, deciding to lean against the wall and check his phone.

Hizashi: Shooo, can you pick up cat food on your way back? We’re out ฅ^•ﻌ•^ฅ

Aizawa let himself smile softly. Ever since some of his students had introduced him to the concept of a kaomoji, Hizashi was addicted to them.

Shota: Sure. Should be heading back soon.

Aizawa hit send and placed his phone back into his pocket just as Tsukauchi made his way out. The detective approached him as Aizawa pushed himself off the wall. “Eraser, please tell me none of your students have pulled a stupid stunt again-” Normally, Aizawa would be offended, but unfortunately, Tsukauchi did have a point - his students causing trouble was a normal occurrence. “Surprisingly, no. I found these two just wandering around downtown - one of them doesn’t speak Japanese very well and they seem oblivious to what’s going on around them. They don’t even know what quirks are.” Tsukauchi blinked, sparing a glance at the duo. How could they not know what quirks were? Whatever the case, he’d get to the bottom of it. After a few more minutes of discussion, Tsukauchi finally spoke to the duo “Aether, Paimon, would you two mind coming with me? I think it’s time we try to sort this out.” The duo shared a brief exchange before Paimon nodded, floating up and gently guiding Aether by the hand. “As long as there’s food! Paimon’s starving!” Tsukauchi sighed at the girl’s hyperactivity, but nodded nonetheless. “I’m sure that can be arranged.” 

After saying their thank yous and goodbyes to Aizawa, the two were guided away by another officer. Aizawa said his goodbyes to Tsukauchi, and was just ready to go home and forget about those kids. However, as he was about to exit through the doors, something told him that sooner or later, fate would probably bring them back together. “Tsukauchi.” The man in question paused his conversation with the receptionist to look at Aizawa. “Yeah, Eraser?” Aizawa sighed - he would definitely regret this later. “Keep me posted, will you?” A grin spread across Tsukauchi’s face as he nodded, he knew Aizawa was going to say that. The poor man could never seem to catch a break, but hey - that was practically part of the job description. “Of course.” And with that said, Aizawa left, off to buy cat food, to spend the day relaxing at home on the couch, watching TV with his husband as he deserved - and maybe to play with the cats.

Chapter Text

It was in the middle of homeroom on Friday, and Aizawa was taking his usual nap as his class discussed various topics that he had no interest in whatsoever - that was, until his phone rang. He was on two minds as to whether he should be angry or not, it depended on who was ringing. His class immediately drew their undivided attention to the front of the room, and Aizawa silently cursed the fact that he couldn’t get them to pay that much attention to him when he actually wanted them to. He looked at the Caller ID, surprised to see that it was Tsukauchi. After telling the class that he’d be back, he stepped out to take the call.

“Tsukauchi, I’m in the middle of a class - this had better be important.” Tsukauchi let out a nervous chuckle, a clear sign of bad news. “So harsh. It’s about those two kids - the ones from Sunday, remember?” Of course he remembered - how could he forget? He was kind of hoping that he wouldn’t be hearing about them again, though. “I do.” He sighed, running a hand through his hair. He really was going soft in his old age, wasn’t he? “How are they?” Tsukauchi mimicked Aizawa’s earlier sigh, clearly not in the best mood himself. “Not the best. Aether doesn’t seem to be the trusting kind and we can’t get anything out of Paimon with him around - but, trying to separate them is equally as difficult.” Aizawa hummed in thought - from his own experience of the two, he had come to a similar conclusion. Paimon was a lot more trusting than Aether, which was a curse and a blessing. Whatever the case, Aether wasn’t going to be the one to tell them anything. Maybe they could catch Paimon alone some other way? And why was Aether so unwilling to share information, anyway? Could he not see that they were trying to help?

“So what’s your plan now, then?” Aizawa asked, and he could hear the gears turning in Tsukauchi’s head, it was almost funny. “I was thinking of contacting Nezu about it - whatever about Paimon, if Aether has a quirk, he doesn’t know it - simply because he doesn’t know what they are. And from what little we’ve gotten out of Paimon, he can fight, so I’d rather put him to good use than just have him confined to the station until we can locate his guardians.” Although he hated to admit it, Aizawa couldn’t help but agree - with how much strength most people needed to break free of his scarf, he was more than a little surprised when Aether did so with ease. If that wasn’t his quirk, he could only imagine what damage the boy could do with one - if he had one at all. But that did raise another issue - if Aether really didn’t have a quirk, he’d be the first of his kind - a quirkless hero student, and at UA no less. He couldn’t even begin to imagine the backlash that could cause. He pulled himself away from his thoughts as Tsukauchi spoke up again. “One of the kids from your group was expelled recently, right?” Aizawa couldn’t help but scowl at the thought. “Mineta Minoru, that’s right. But why my class? I don’t need another problem child to deal with.” Tsukauchi let out a small chuckle, but it was only half hearted. “I know, but I don’t think he’d get along with Vlad… And let’s be honest, Paimon would be dead in five minutes flat.” Aizawa sighed, unable to find a reason to disagree. “I’ll have a talk with Nezu about it, but I can’t guarantee anything.” Tsukauchi let out a satisfied sigh. “Thanks, Aizawa.” Aizawa was not as pleased as he was - but returned the gesture nonetheless. “It’s nothing.” And with that, the call ended, and Aizawa could only hope that Hizashi wouldn’t be too annoyed about being asked to cover his class.

Aether was beyond confused. The past three days had been a blur, and all he could think about was Lumine. Where had she gone after passing through that portal? Was she safe? Was she with Dain? Was she stuck somewhere too? If she was, was it here? Was she going through the same thing as he was? Was she stuck in a police station, being questioned by strange people about strange things she knows nothing about? He sure hoped not. It was beyond annoying, and Aether just wanted to go back to Teyvat at this point. At least the people there didn’t trap him in a police station and question him for days on end. Although, they did trap his sister in a box… And separate them. And made his life hell. And- “-ther! Aether!” Aether snapped out of his gaze to see Paimon waving her hands in his face frantically, looking panicked. “Hm?” He looked up, Paimon seeming to calm down a bit when she saw that Aether had come back to his senses. “You gave Paimon a heart attack! Paimon thought you were possessed! Y-You kept staring into space and looking through Paimon!” Aether frowned softly, gently patting Paimon on the head. “Sorry, Paimon.” Paimon huffed, crossing her arms. “You better be!”

“Alright you two, enough squabbling…” Tsukauchi ordered as he walked back into the room, Aizawa following close behind him. Paimon gasped in excitement at the familiar face, floating over to the two men. “Mr Homeless!” Paimon cried. “P-Paimon thought we’d never see you again!” Aizawa chose to ignore the name that Paimon had so kindly given him. “We’ve found you two a place to stay for the time being.” Tsukauchi was the one who spoke, Aizawa just nodding in confirmation. “You’ll be attending the school Aizawa teaches at as one of the students there.” Aether most definitely did not like the sound of that - the look of distaste on his face was as clear as day. “It’s a school for heroes.” Aizawa spoke up, sensing the boy’s discomfort. “Aside from the academic side of things, you’ll also learn about search and rescue, quirks, fighting techniques, and so on. Of course, you have the right to decline - but it’s either that or the foster system.” This seemed to panic Aether even more - he’d rather attend some “hero school” than end up being treated like a child with a foster family. "I'll do this… "school" thing." At this, Tsukauchi let out a sigh of relief, he had thought Aether would be harder to convince. "We'll allow Paimon to stay with you - so long as she isn't brought into any sort of battle." Paimon giggled sheepishly at that, poking her fingers together. "That's okay! Paimon's very good at running away!" Somehow, that didn't manage to soothe the two men - did that mean she had needed to run away before? Just what exactly were these two teens involved in? Aizawa hummed, seemingly content with the outcome they'd reached. "I'll be dropping you both off. I'm assuming neither of you have changes of clothes so we can stop off to buy you both something to wear for the night on the way. We can worry about more clothes later." Aether seemed to be okay with this, much to both Aizawa and Tsukauchi's relief - and confusion. The boy seemed to be rather soft spoken - but when he disliked something, he sure made his opinion known. They assumed he'd been through a lot, so his sudden compliance was a welcome change. Although, he seemed somewhat out of it - maybe that's what he and Paimon had been discussing before they'd entered? She had seemed rather upset, after all. 

After saying goodbye to the officers who had "facilitated them" over their stay - as Aizawa had described it - Aizawa led the two outside and towards his "car", which was where they were currently stopped. Paimon seemed very excited about getting to travel in the odd contraption, but Aether seemed much more sceptical. "Is it really safe?" He asked, observing it as though that would determine the safety of the machine. "It's what got me here, isn't it?" Aizawa responded, his tone laced in sarcasm. He still didn't understand how a boy of Aether's age didn't know what a car was, but then again, he didn't seem to know much at all - which was concerning. After much convincing from both Aizawa and Paimon, Aether climbed into the front passenger's seat, with Paimon sitting on his lap. Aizawa said it was because he didn't have a "car seat" - whatever that meant. Aizawa showed him how to fasten his seatbelt, and with that, turned the keys and started up the engine. Aether's reaction was nothing short of what Aizawa had expected. The poor boy's eyes almost popped out of his head before he clenched them shut, clearly not amused at the idea of a car. Paimon, on the other hand, immediately began asking questions about what every button did, how it worked, and so on and so forth. 

It was only until about halfway through the drive that Paimon eventually tuckered herself out and fell asleep, much to both Aizawa and Aether's relief. The young boy leaned his head against the window and closed his eyes, clearly tired from how eventful these past few days had been. Aizawa almost pitied him - how did he even handle Paimon sometimes? The rest of the journey was spent in silence, aside from the few words they exchanged as they went to buy the duo some pyjamas. Aether was a quiet boy without Paimon speaking for him, seeming to be constantly lost in thought. Aizawa couldn't help but wonder what he was thinking about, but he didn't dare pry. “Is there anything else you want to get while we’re here?” Aether pulled himself out of his thoughts when Aizawa spoke, giving a small headshake. “No, I don’t think so. I think we’ll be alright.” Aizawa nodded, and went to go and pay for the clothes. Aether shifted the weight of Paimon’s head against his shoulder, said person being out cold. Aizawa paid for the clothes with haste and the two walked back to the car in silence. Once the car started up, Aether was back in his daze. As much as Aizawa enjoyed the silence - loved it, even - he couldn't help but be worried for the kid. Remember when Aizawa said he wouldn't pry? Yeah, that, like five seconds ago? Well scratch that. "Are you alright? You've been in that head of yours all day." Aether took a moment to register that Aizawa had spoken, and after taking another moment to register what the man had said, he responded. "Hm? Oh, yeah. Just… tired." Aizawa couldn't say he didn't understand the feeling (spoiler: he actually didn't), his class tired him out so much that he avoided social interaction for days after certain lessons. P.E. was always a treat with Bakugo and Midoriya's odd rivalry going on in the background. "I get the feeling. Once you get settled in the dorms, you can go to sleep if you need to. It's Friday, so you have two days off before you start school. You'll also need to attend a meeting with Nezu - the principal - tomorrow, but I'm sure Paimon can do the talking for you then." Aether let out an amused huff. It was ironic that the man believed he knew how Aether felt, but then again, it wasn't like he'd been told anything, so Aether couldn't blame him. "Figured our dynamic out already, hm?" Aizawa couldn't help the small smile that escaped onto his lips - he could actually get along with this kid, which was a shock. Maybe he'd finally have a student who wouldn't cause him any trouble.

Oh, how wrong that sentence was.

Chapter Text

Has Aether always been this tired? What was he like, before Lumine was taken away? Could he remember? No… he couldn't. Where was he? It was dark. It was cold. Was it always this dark? No, surely not. Where was Paimon? She wasn't here. It was dark, and Paimon wasn't here. Paimon doesn't like the dark. Why isn't she here? Holding onto him, asking him to protect her?

"Aether?"

That sounded like a man. Was someone speaking to him? No, no one's here. How could someone be speaking to him? But then again, it was so dark. He couldn't see. Someone could be there, someone had to be. Aether wasn't crazy. Was he? Sometimes he felt crazy. He was on a wild goose chase, and for what? Lumine didn't love him anymore. She left him, through that portal. The Lumine that loved him would never leave him.

"Aether."

Again! Who was there? Aether clenched his fist, he couldn't summon his sword. Why couldn't he? He couldn't remember. His fist would have to do. He pulled his fist back, and swung at where he believed the voice to be coming from. 

And then it was bright.

Aizawa caught Aether's fist mere millimetres from his face. A nervous Paimon floated behind him. Oh, they were still in the car. Had he fallen asleep? "Kid! Calm down, you were just having a bad dream. Everything's fine." Aizawa looked concerned, but why? Aether hadn't been having a nightmare. It was just dark. But Aether didn't want him to worry, so he wouldn't tell him that. "Oh… Sorry." "Don't scare Paimon like that! Paimon thought you were dying or something! Anyway, we're here! Hurry up so we can get some food!"

Has Paimon always been this loud? Everything was loud, actually. Aether could hear himself breathe, he could hear the rise and fall of his chest. Every little movement someone made, every movement they didn't make. "C'mon kid, once we get you both settled, you can really go asleep. Sorry for waking you." Aizawa opened the door and stepped out of the car, Paimon floating out behind him. He walked around and opened Aether's door, helping the boy step out and grab his bags. Aether was glad that Aizawa didn't pry much. It made life so much easier for him - for both of them, really.

Aizawa was right, no one was here. Everyone had gone home for the weekend, which meant Aether had two days to prepare to meet his new classmates. Why was he doing this again? Oh, right, so he didn't have to go into foster care. Seriously, who did these people think they were? Aether was old enough to take care of himself! 'Foster care', he was older than any damn foster family! Paimon could clearly sense his anger, as she currently looked extremely nervous. "A-Aether, maybe you should lie down…" Aether paused in his angry pacing to acknowledge his companion. Sure, Paimon could be a piece of work sometimes, but he knew she meant no harm - and she never left him behind. He knew it wouldn't be fair to take his anger out on her. "Sorry, Paimon… Ugh, maybe I should." Aether ruffled through the shopping bag and laid out some pyjamas for himself and Paimon. "Do you even need to wear pyjamas? This is the first time I've seen you out of your little outfit." Paimon shook her head, but took the pyjamas anyway. "Not really! But Paimon thinks these look suuuper comfy, so Paimon'll wear them!" Aether smiled softly and ruffled Paimon's hair. "Go change, then." And Paimon did just that - she grabbed the pyjamas and poofed out of existence to go and change. Aether went into the bathroom to change, just in case Paimon came back.

When he came out of the bathroom, Paimon was still off doing archons knows what. Aether climbed onto the comfy bed and snuggled under the duvet. He felt like he was lying on a cloud, really. He wished he could just lie in this little cocoon forever…

It was dark again.

Aizawa didn't know what to make of Aether. Paimon's character was pretty straightforward - she was a talkative, cheerful girl who loved her food. She was loyal to Aether and protective over him, whilst being passive aggressive to those she disliked. If you got on her bad side, you got an ugly nickname, whilst those on her good side were respected and, despite being talked to death, were well treated. She was an open book. But Aether? Opening him was like… opening Pandora's box. He could, if he really wanted to, but did he want to release what was inside? The look on Aether's eyes when he had woken up was completed indecipherable. At first, he looked absolutely traumatised, but that expression was replaced with confusion mere seconds later. Aizawa figured he didn't remember his dream, but most people retain the distress, and only lose the memories attached. Aether seemed unaware that he had dreamed at all. "Sho? I asked what you wanted for dinner." Hizashi's voice snapped Aizawa from his thoughts, said man looking up with his usual tired eyes. "Maybe we should just order some pizza?" Hizashi huffed, flicking Aizawa's forehead and making him flinch. "We did that last night! We're going to end up gaining 10 pounds before the week is out!" 

Aizawa wanted to argue about how that wasn't how weight worked, but he didn't have the energy. "I'm just… tired." Hizashi sat down next to him on the couch, hugging him from the side. "Is it about those two new students of yours?" Aizawa let out a sigh. "Yeah, it is. The girl, Paimon, isn't actually a student, she just refuses to leave Aether - he's the student. And that's what makes it worse, the fact that he's a student at all. As far as I can see, he's quirkless. And I'm not saying I'm a quirkist, I have nothing against people without quirks, but being a hero is a bit of a dangerous profession and… I just don't see why Nezu was so quick to allow it. He approved before he even met the kid, and you and I both know that Nezu's usual goal is to avoid a lawsuit." Hizashi hummed softly as he considered what Aizawa had said. "You do have a point, but we also both know that Nezu has a method to his madness, no?" Aizawa couldn't argue with that. U.A's principal was anything but normal, and anyone who has met him for more than 10 seconds can tell you that. "Hm… I suppose you're right."

After that, the two sat in comfortable silence. And if they ordered pizza that night? Well, that was their own business.

Somebody's POV, Somewhere

Why is it so dark? And who's that boy, standing over there? "Hello?" I call, as I begin to walk closer to the boy. He looks around as if he can't see me, and I'm pretty sure he's looking right through me. "Who are you? Why won't you look at me?" The boy doesn't answer me, and he doesn't look at me, either. He really can't see me? Why can I see him? I look around, and then I see another figure. This one can see me, and the other boy. I can tell by the look in his eyes. "Hello? Can you see me?" The other figure stays silent, and chooses only to watch me. Does he not speak? Can he? I take a step forward, and then he takes a step back. "Wait- Can you please tell me where we are?" The figure shook his head, and then put a finger to his lips.

And then it was bright.

Chapter Text

“Aether, wake uuuup!” Aether got used to the majority of Paimon’s antics, but he would never get used to her method of waking him. High pitched screeching in his ear was not the nicest thing to wake up to - although, it was effective. After meeting with the principal, Aether had returned to the dorm and immediately passed out in his bed. He was quite surprised that he had slept the whole day through. "Mornin' Paimon…" He trailed, a slight drawl to his voice as he had only woken up, rubbing his eye tiredly. "Today's our last day before the students come back after the weekend. We have to use it to the fullest! Mr. Homeless said he'd show us around the school, remember?" Honestly? Aether didn't remember that interaction at all. Also, why was this poor man working on a weekend? Did Aizawa get paid more for this? He sure hoped so. "Ah… I'll get dressed, then." He sighed, getting out of bed and making it as neatly as his tired brain would let him. He could practically feel Paimon's eyes staring at him on his back, but he couldn't bring himself to care. 

The weight of the past week was finally weighing down on him, and he just wanted it to end already. A part of him hoped that this was some sick dream, and he'd wake up on the other side of the portal he came through - with Lumine. But the other part of him knew that whatever cruel god this world has would never be so kind to him, and that he was, in fact, stuck here. As if his mission to find his sister wasn't hard enough, now they're in entirely different worlds.

Tsukauchi had told him that he could tell when people were lying, and after a quick test, he found that to only be partially true. Tsukauchi could tell what people believed to be the truth, not the exact truth. For example, if Aizawa told Tsukauchi that Aether was 15, Tsukauchi would see that as true - because Aizawa doesn't think he's lying, either. But if Aether said the same thing, it would be a lie, because Aether knows he's not 15. So, under the same logic, if Aether explained his predicament to Tsukauchi, one could argue that he's just insane, and that he's tricked himself into a false reality. So, to avoid this possibility, Aether omitted some details. Specifically, all of the details. He either deflected the questions he was asked or refused to answer, and told Paimon to do the same. She wasn't good at keeping secrets, but she did better than she usually would, and Aether was grateful for that. As he contemplated his situation, he got dressed absentmindedly, before sitting on the side of the bed to brush his hair. As if on cue, the door knocked. 

"Comiiiiing!" Paimon yelled, floating over to the door at light speed and opening it. There stood Aizawa, looking absolutely delighted to be awake at 9 in the morning. Not. "Morning Mr. Homeless!" Paimon beamed, seeming to use her nickname for him in an endearing way rather than an insulting one. Aizawa didn't seem to share her enthusiasm, simply giving her a wave. "Morning… Are you two ready to go?" As he asked, Aether finished braiding his hair, giving a nod of confirmation. "Yep." Paimon whined, stomping in the air. "No! We haven't had breakfast!" She crossed her arms, looking quite angry at the notion of skipping a meal. "If you can wait until after, I'll bring you both out for breakfast." Paimon perked at Aizawa's offer, liking the idea quite a bit. "You've got yourself a deal!" Aether sighed, shaking his head at her antics. "Thank you, Aizawa…" He stood, walking out of the room with Paimon in tow and shutting the door behind him. 

"I won't be showing you the whole school, it's way too big." Aizawa started as they walked towards the stairs. There was an elevator, but it'd been made abundantly clear that Aether was terrified of it, and would never use it again. "I'll show you both the way to homeroom and the canteen, anything else you can just learn along the way." He hummed, they were now exiting the building. "Why are you here on a Sunday, Mr. Homeless?” Paimon asked the question Aether had been wondering this whole time.

“I work 7 days a week - ‘perks’ of being a hero.” Aether disliked the word hero - at least the meaning of the word here. It still held the same amount of significance, but, what right did they have to just own the title? Most would say “they’ve saved people, so that makes them heroes'', but surely it should be the people who declare them as such, not the government. But alas, maybe only Aether thought that way. Kaeya did say he was too humble, after all. People in Teyvat called him a hero all the time, but he was just clearing obstacles in his way. It wasn’t his intention for the people of Teyvat to interpret his impatience as heroism. If something was in his way, he’d deal with it himself - it took too long otherwise. Helping people was just a bonus, he supposed. “Well, I technically only work 6 days a week, but you two have taken up both of my days off for the past two weeks.” Aizawa added. “Heh… Sorry about that…” Paimon rubbed the back of her neck sheepishly.

For the majority of their tour, there was a comfortable silence between the three, although a bit uncomfortable to Paimon, who much preferred a lively conversation. However, she quickly realised that neither Aether nor Aizawa were up to that at the moment. Aside from a few facts, “this is your homeroom”, “this is the gym”, not a word was said. Aether hadn’t attended any form of schooling since he was a child, and certainly never without Lumine. He worried that his soon to be classmates would see through his facade of being a normal person. Were there certain things he should know? He knew this world had heroes, and that they were seen as celebrities, almost. What if he seemed suspicious for not knowing them? He had learned about the “internet” from watching Aizawa, did it function similarly to the Akasha Terminal he’d heard was used in the nation of Sumeru? If so, maybe he could ask this internet thing for information. “And that’s about it. The rest you’ll just learn along the way like everyone else.” Aizawa pulled Aether from his thoughts - a common occurrence, it seemed. He realised that he hadn’t been paying much attention, but what was Paimon for if not to guide him? “Great! Now can we go get breakfast?” Paimon chirped enthusiastically, causing Aether to shoot her a glare. Aizawa sighed, running a hand through his hair. “Of course you remembered… C’mon then, I’d like to spend a bit of my day off for myself.” He muttered the end of his sentence, motioning for the two to follow as he began to head outside. Aether dreaded getting into the car again, but he supposed he could bear it so long as it was a short enough journey. Although, nothing ever felt short with Paimon around.

“I suppose I ‘owe’ you now, is that right?” A short man mused, eyeing the other man before him. “All debts must be paid - you should know that, no?” The other man retorted, his sickly sweet - and fake - smile plastering his face. “Besides, that’s only one of those meddling fools taken care of. Need I remind you that the girl is still being dealt with?” “My memory is fresher than that of any human, Pantalone.” The short man spat, glaring at his fellow Harbinger with hatred. “My apologies, 6th. Is this where you remind me to know my place?” Pantalone tilted his head, mock curiosity plastering his face. “Enough.” The two silenced their bickering with haste, bowing towards the older man. “Apologies, Director.” They spoke in unison. “I need not your fake apologies. Whatever respect you show me is only the respect Her Majesty the Tsaritsa demands. Bickering now is pointless, the game is already in motion. We need only wait for black to make its move."

Chapter Text

It was Monday, the day Aether had been dreading about all weekend. Paimon was ecstatic, floating about excitedly as she ranted. “Paimon’s so excited! Do you think they'll be nice? Do you think they'll want to be friends with Paimon? I hope they can cook!” Aether sighed, feeling a headache forming already. After breakfast yesterday, Aizawa had given Aether a strange box with white… candies? He wasn't sure what they were, and wasn't excited to try them, but Aizawa said they helped with headaches. The box told him to take two, and to swallow them whole. Was that not a choking hazard? Alas, Aether followed both the box and Aizawa’s advice, taking two with a chug of water, eliciting a shiver from him as he felt them slide down his throat uncomfortably.

“I don't know, Paimon. Maybe. And I can always cook for us, so it's no big deal if none of them can.” Aether thought back to yesterday's events, humming softly. Aizawa had been thinking along the same lines as he had, worried about the possibility of Aether standing out for his abnormalities, and so the principal had come up with a backstory for them. He was an exchange student from America, as Nezu had discovered after a ‘written exam’ that English, which Aether knew as Teyvatian, was Aether's most proficient language. He had grown up with strict and almost neglectful parents, and was rarely allowed outside. He had little to no formal education or hero knowledge due to this. He didn't like the idea of playing the traumatised child role, but when needs must, he supposed. 

As for Paimon, her story stayed somewhat similar. He had saved her from drowning in the pond in his backyard, and she had no memory of how she came to be there. She told him about the world, and he eventually developed an urge to see it, thus running away. After some time sorting out his case, he was taken in as a ward of UA, which heard about his untapped potential from partners abroad. Paimon was, despite her excitement, extremely nervous. She was terrible at lying, and this was a big one! A knock sounded on the door, and Aether opened it, Aizawa waiting on the other side. 

“Morning Mr. Homeless!!” Paimon waved cheerily, her prior moment of nervousness subsided. Aizawa huffed softly, a small bag in his hand. “Good morning, both of you. Aether, this is your uniform. I'm aware you've never worn one so I'll go easy on the dress code, but try your best to wear it as neatly as you can. Do you know how to tie a tie?” Aether hummed in response, taking the bag from Aizawa. “I do, and thank you.” Aizawa nodded, pausing for a moment before speaking again. “Nezu also asked me to bring you these, courtesy of UA.” He pulled three items from his pocket, holding them out. Aether eyed them curiously, recognising two of them as copies of the strange box he'd seen Aizawa use the other day for “calling” people. The other was a thin plastic card, some numbers written on it. “These,” Aizawa began, holding up one of the boxes, “are phones. You can use them to call people, text, or just to play games. They already have my number saved, so either of you can call me if need be. Do you think you can figure them out?” Paimon and Aether spared confused glances at one another before Paimon pouted. “Mr. Homeless, this is way too complicated…” Simultaneously, Aether took one from Aizawa, clicking the button on the side to turn it on before looking in pure dread. “I… can't read. Well, I can read, just not in whatever script this is..”

Aizawa sighed softly, rubbing his temple. “We can leave them here today and set them up later. You won't need them during school hours, anyway. As for this card here, it's a credit card. You can use it to buy things, it has money on it. Your allowance is ¥75,000 a month, but we can work out more if needed. I don't see why you would though, as UA already provides food and utilities. You can spend that money however you want, be it clothes, decorations, or anything else.” Aizawa felt bad as he watched Aether's confusion grow, but he didn't have all the time in the world to explain things to the kid. “Just, think of it as a magic money card. As long as you don't spend too much, you're fine. As for this room, feel free to decorate it however you see fit. It's yours for the foreseeable future.” Aether nodded quietly, taking the ‘credit card’ and placing it on the bedside locker. 

“Thank you, Aizawa.” He spoke with a small bow. “When does the school day start?” Paimon fiddled with her new phone, trying to figure it out as the other two spoke. “Homeroom is at 8:25, so you have about 40 minutes to get ready.” Aizawa supplied. “I'll escort you both today, to introduce you to the class. Don't worry too much about being late, Iida is a stickler for rules and he'll probably bang your door down every morning. Also, UA observes a six day school week. You're lucky there was an extra day off due to a recent incident in which someone..” - he coughed, his mind thinking of a certain blond student - “..blew the power. It took a day to fix.” Aether sighed before nodding slowly, taking out the uniform to look at it. “Okay, thanks.” He spoke swiftly, not pleased with his current living arrangements. “I'll leave you both to get ready.” Aizawa spoke, stepping back from the door. “Just head downstairs when you're done and we'll head to the school from there. Don't be too long.” With that, Aizawa left the two alone with their new phones and their thoughts.

After about 30 minutes, Paimon came zooming down the stairs, a much less enthusiastic Aether in tow. To Aizawa's much welcomed surprise, Aether had done quite well with his uniform. Paimon wore the outfit she'd bought not long after her arrival, and her hair was tucked back with a bobby pin instead of sporting her usual diamond pin. However, she still had her pink halo, which Aizawa assumed was a byproduct of her quirk. 

“You two didn't take ridiculously long, luckily.” Aizawa commented, crossing his arms. “There's a few more things to give you and explain. Firstly, Paimon, you're not a student. If asked why you're here, Aether refused to become a ward of UA without your presence, which isn't exactly a lie. You'll be allowed to stay with Aether during classes so long as you don't make any noise, and you're permitted to use your phone. Alternatively, you could just do your little disappearing trick. I don't mind.” He turned slightly more towards Aether before continuing. “Aether, you're required to take part in classes, but your teachers have been informed of your language barrier and lack of formal education. You'll also be required to attend an hour of mandatory language classes every Wednesday and Saturday after regular classes end with Present Mic, as he can teach you through English. He's also your class’ regular English teacher.” He holds up a bag, with some stuff already in it. “This is your school bag, it's got some copybooks and a pencil case in it, with all the essentials. Your books will be in your locker, which I can show you to on the way. It also contains your timetable, so you only need to take the books you'll need for today.” He let out an exhale as he finished explaining everything, once again feeling apologetic for Aether who looked absolutely lost. Paimon, on the other hand, seemed very excited. “Did you understand all of that?”

Internally, Aether was going crazy. He understood about five things in that entire conversation, language barrier his ass! Paimon had tried her best to whisper little explanations, but the man spoke so fast. But from what he'd gathered so far this morning, he was livid. 6 days a week, overtime on 2 of those days, consisting of classes, classes and more classes? This was bullshit! He was way too old for this crap, and he hadn't had a drink in well over 500 years because of shitty drinking laws. Maybe he could find some sketchy alley bar and drink to his heart’s content there. He didn't mind Aizawa as a person, the man seemed to genuinely want to help, but he hated the predicament he was in. He wanted Lumine. He wanted his sister. He wanted to go home.

“Aether..?” Aizawa spoke softly, looking concerned about the teenager before him. The boy's fist was clenched and trembling, and Paimon hovered around him anxiously. “Hm?” He fixed his gaze on Aizawa, tilting his head. “Oh, sorry, I zoned out. Yes, I understood. Thank you.” Aizawa could tell there was something else bothering his new problem child, but he decided not to push it. “It's alright kid. Anyway, I'm aware you two haven't eaten yet, but you can have a pretty filling lunch later and start with breakfast tomorrow. For now, we have to get going.” Paimon perked excitedly at Aizawa's announcement. “Finally! Paimon's so excited she can barely think!” Aizawa rolled his eyes at the childish girl's antics, before slowly guiding the two away.

Midoriya sighed, resting his head against the desk as his classmates spoke loudly. The long weekend had completely screwed his sleep schedule, and now he was absolutely exhausted. Maybe he shouldn't have stayed up all night watching a shitty dub of Grey's Anatomy, but that was past him’s mistake. “Hey Deku!” He looked up slowly to be met with the sight of Uraraka approaching him, having just entered the classroom. “O-Oh, morning Uraraka! How was your weekend?” Uraraka perked up, smiling brightly. “Great! My mom and I went shopping together, and I even got to help out on the construction site dad was working on!” Midoriya smiled softly, nodding towards his friend. “That sounds great! I stayed up watching some shitty dub of an old pre-quirk show called Grey's Anatomy, it's really interesting! Seeing how doctors operated in the pre-quirk era is super cool, and I especially like the portrayal of-” Just as quick as the ramble began, it ended with a commanding “sit down.”

The class was silent within moments, all taking their seats as they looked on towards their homeroom teacher. “Good morning.” He spoke. “4 seconds isn't bad, but still not good enough. I hope you all enjoyed the long weekend, because it'll be the last day off you get for a while.” Aizawa sighed, preparing himself for the onslaught about to occur. “I have an important announcement to make. After much thought, a suitable replacement for Mineta has been found, and he starts today.” With that, the entire class erupted. “Is he strong?” “Is he manly?” “Is he handsome?” “Wh-What’s his quirk?!” “What course is he transferring from?” “Can I fight ‘im?” A cold air permeated through the room as Aizawa’s hair raised, his eyes red. “One at a damn time.” The class silenced, Ashido vibrating at the thought of a new classmate and Midoriya looking nervous as he fidgeted with his hands. “To answer Iida’s question, he's not transferring from a different course. He's a transfer from America, Nezu himself recommended him.” Yaoyorozu looked particularly interested at this, and Todoroki spared a small eyebrow raise. “He's also brought a plus one, his only condition when Nezu asked him to join the class.” Jirou raised her hand, and Aizawa motioned for her to speak. “Sir, with all due respect.. Does he really have the right to set conditions? UA isn't exactly known for taking in transfers mid year, especially not under the principal’s request.” Aizawa sighed, regretting giving Aether his ibuprofen. “While that's true, he's a special case. And we're lucky enough that this was the only condition he had, Nezu made it clear that he was allowed more than one. In any case, I'm too tired for this, so you can ask him more questions yourself.” 

Did Aizawa feel bad for putting this on the kid? Sort of. But the duo had taken up his last two Sundays, so it was within his right to have a bit of fun. He stepped outside for a moment, Aether leaning against the wall while Paimon vibrated excitedly. “Do you think we can have sleepovers? Paimon’s always wanted to go to one!” Aether looked absolutely exhausted at a measly 8:35 in the morning, his brain fried from Paimon's incessant ramblings. He looked up at Aizawa, the words “save me” practically written in bold inside his eyes. “You two can come in now. The class will probably have some questions, but be careful - they can smell fear.” “They can what?” Before Aether had the chance to question any further, he was being dragged along by Paimon, who couldn't wait a moment longer. Immediately, Iida was standing next to them, giving them a bow. “Hello, it's a pleasure!” He chopped his hands robotically, a very serious expression on his face. “I'm Iida Tenya, 1-A’s class president! If you need anything, don't be afraid to ask me or anyone else!” Aether eyed the boy nervously, taking a tiny step back as Paimon moved forward. “Hii! Paimon's Paimon, and this is Aether! It's so nice to meet you! Paimon's been excited all weekend!” Iida seemed pleased with this, nodding vigorously. “Such enthusiasm is only natural when attending the most prestigious school in all of Japan!” Aizawa huffed, crossing his arms. “Iida, please sit down. Thank you for the introduction. Aether, feel free to introduce yourself, but it's not necessary.” Iida took his seat as Aether eyed the class nervously. He hadn't gone to school in well over 500 years, and these were actual teenagers. What was he even supposed to say? They already knew his name. What are teenagers into nowadays? Could his made-up backstory really explain his social stupidity? Paimon eyed him with concern, taking in a big puff of air. “Hi everyone! Paimon’s happy to meet you all! Aether is too, he's just shy, y’know?” Jirou muttered to Kaminari, leaning over so she wouldn't be heard, “now I see why he needed his plus one…” The electric boy nodded in agreement, before Ashido spoke up loudly from next to him. “Awwhh!! You're so adorable! Who styled your hair?! You have to let me do your makeup sometime!” Paimon lit up ecstatically, nodding in excitement. “Paimon would like that!” 

Aether noticed a green haired boy eyeing him nervously, and so he cleared his throat. “Uhm.. Are you alright?” He spoke so quietly that he was barely heard, but soon all eyes were on him, and the green haired boy looked as though he could faint. “O-Oh! I’m- I’m fine! I was just wondering.. if it's not too rude, um.. what are both of your quirks..?” The boy seemed to materialise a notebook out of nowhere, waiting eagerly for a response. Paimon perked excitedly at this. During her time in the police station, they'd gotten her “quirk” registered. Apparently, her abilities were known as a quirk here! She even got to name it! “Sure! Paimon’s is Astral Float! Paimon’s able to disappear on command, but during times of danger, Paimon does it without thinking! When Paimon disappears, Paimon can communicate through her brain! But, only Aether can hear Paimon. The doctors told Paimon that her quirk probably links to a specific person, and Aether’s who that is!” Midoriya lit up, scribbling hastily and nodding. “Th-That's so interesting! What about you, Aether?” Aether looked at Aizawa nervously, who gave him a shrug in response. Aether had powers, sure, but they didn't come back after he left Teyvat. In addition, he lost his ability to use the powers of the statues he'd resonated with. So, for all sakes and purposes, he was “quirkless”. Aizawa had explained to him yesterday that no quirkless person had ever attended UA, and that society in general was largely “quirkist”. Essentially, quirked people were the norm, and quirkless people were weirdos. What kind of fucked up ideology was that? He sucked in a breath, speaking up nervously after a moment of awkward silence. “I’m quirkless.” The class went absolutely silent. Like, not even breathing. A second passed. Then another. Aether felt his heart skip a beat nervously. Was he seriously scared of a bunch of teenagers judging him? He was seriously going soft. “WHAT THE HELL?” A loud Pomeranian looking blond exploded, and he means, literally exploded. Aether swears he saw sparks. “WHY WOULD THE PRINCIPAL WANT SOME QUIRKLESS WANNABE IN OUR CLASS?” Aizawa’s hair rose again, his eyes red. “Bakugou. Don't you dare.” He spoke angrily, leaving no room for argument. The blond scowled, sitting back in his seat and kicking his desk. Yaoyorozu winced, speaking softly. “Sir.. I don't mean it in the same way Bakugo does, but.. he has a point. Is UA really a place for someone without a quirk..?” Aether crossed his arms, and Aizawa had to mask his surprise at the sudden demeanour change. “What, you think I can't fight or something? I might not be as powerful as you guys in brute strength, but experience goes a hell of a long way. And what happens if someone like Mr. Aizawa erases your quirk? None of you seem to even consider it possible to fight without one, which is really fucking stupid.” Despite the small pauses to remember words, and the occasional but-in from Paimon, Aether’s point was made well. Yaoyorozu sat back slightly, a small “I apologise” escaping her lips. Aether shook his head, sighing. “It's fine, I'm not offended. Just making a point.” 

Aizawa stood at the podium, letting out a soft grumble. “As much as I disapprove of the language used, I agree. You all could learn a thing or two about quirkless combat. Aether, you can take a seat in the empty one behind Midoriya, Paimon, feel free to do whatever as long as you're quiet.” The two nodded, and Aether made his way to his seat, Paimon disappearing with a little flip and a trail of stars behind her. Aether sighed, resting his head against his hand as Aizawa began explaining boring things to the class. He couldn't help but think about how terrible his next few days or weeks could go, hell, maybe even months. What if he slipped up and said something wrong? What if his classmates doubted his story? Would he really be able to do this “quirkless”? As confident as he'd acted, he wasn't exactly sure how strong quirks were, as he'd never seen them in combat. He hoped he could at least stand a chance, or this would end pretty quickly. Most importantly, he worried for Lumine. Was she okay? What had she meant, when she said they had time? 

Wasn't 500 years time enough?

The day couldn't have gone slower, between shaky introductions and a lot of sympathetic looks. Apparently, being quirkless now made him some poor unfortunate soul. He walked quietly towards the dorm building, his new “friends” - apparently eating lunch with someone once made you friends - Midoriya, Uraraka, and Iida trailing next to him on his right. Paimon chatted excitedly with Ashido over to the left of him, and he noticed Kaminari and Kirishima sparing him small looks of pity. “So Aether, what part of America are you from?” Uraraka asked, breaking the silence. Aether got nervous for a moment, forgetting where he was supposed to be “from” briefly before remembering it. “Uhm, I'm from Utah.. Doubt you know it.” Uraraka giggled at that, rubbing the back of her neck sheepishly. “You're right, I don't. I bet it was nice though!” Aether nodded, trudging his feet through the leaves falling from the trees scattered about. “I guess so.” Midoriya and Iida shared a glance of concern before Iida spoke up, his arms chopping in what Aether had discovered to be their usual manner. “You guess? Surely you think more of your home, no?” Aether swallowed down the lump in his throat, looking away. “I didn't really see much of it.. I don't really want to talk about it, not right now.” To anyone else, Aether seemed uncomfortable with the topic - which was 100% true, but not for the same reason he was meant to be. Don't get him wrong, he could lie no problem. Lumine was always better at it, but he was by no means bad at it. But normally, he either lied on the spot, or studied a fake story for at least a week in advance. He'd had about 12 hours to remember this story, so he wasn't exactly ready to talk about it. He planned to go over it in more detail over the next few days, but until he had, he deemed changing the topic the best way to deal with the issue. Iida began making his way up the stairs to the dorms, the others following close behind. He nodded in understanding, which he didn't actually have, giving an apologetic smile. “I understand. I'm sorry for prying, we've barely met.” Uraraka smiled as well, giving her own nod. “I'm sorry too, we didn't mean to make you uncomfortable!” Aether shook his head, waving his hands in front of him. “No, it's alright. You couldn't have known I'd be uncomfortable, it was a normal question.” The trio shared a glance before they all smiled, Midoriya speaking up this time. “W-We're glad you're not upset!”

“What a beautiful flower!” The group turned to face the source of the exclamation, said source being Yaoyorozu. “You're right, I've never noticed that before. It's really pretty.” Jirou commented in agreement. Uraraka perked and ran over, wanting to see. Paimon floated in between the group. “Oh wow! It looks so.. wintry! I wonder if someone planted it?” Uraraka tilted her head, crouching to observe the unusual flower. A small group formed around it, all speculating where it came from. Bakugou rolled his eyes, pushing past the crowd and walking into the dorms. “You're all morons, it's just a stupid flower.” He slammed the door behind him as he spoke, and the group deflated at his mood-killing. “Bummer..” Kaminari huffed, following after him along with Kirishima. The group slowly made their way inside, Paimon sparing a glance and happy wave at Aether before following Ashido. He was glad she'd found someone new to chat to, someone who could match her enthusiasm. Iida and Midoriya made their way in as Uraraka returned to do so, and Aether began to follow. As he walked in last, he looked back towards where the flower was. He paused, his movement faltering as he saw what had caused the commission. “Aether, you okay?” Midoriya asked, pausing as well as Aether snapped out of his trance. “Yeah.. sorry.” He followed the other boy in, a small frown on his face. The room was loud with chatter, Bakugou loudly declaring “I'm cooking dinner!” as Hagakure cried “I call dibs on the first TV show!” The group seemed accustomed to communal living, it was nice to see. Aether allowed himself to be dragged off by Ashido as she demanded she give Paimon and Aether a “proper” tour, Paimon asking questions happily as Aether's thoughts went quiet, leaving room for only one. Yaoyorozu was right, it really was a beautiful flower. His sister thought so, too. But that one thought lingered in Aether's mind:

What was an Inteyvat doing here?